Winds of Change
by SamanthaSezs
Summary: Sometimes change is good, but it isn't always easy is it?
1. Chapter 1

An annoying sound is disturbing the slumber of the Head Detective of the Santa Barbara Police Department. He grunts in his half awake state, he felt like he had just lay down and closed his eyes.

Another late night, another dead end.

He reaches over to press the snooze button on the clock but the sound continues to assault his hearing. He finally opens his eyes a little and realizes it is the phone and it won't stop ringing until it's answered. Reaching up to grab the phone at the same time as looking at the time on the digital clock, someone better have a good reason for calling at 3:04 in the morning.

"Lassiter!" He barks.

"_Is this Carlton Lassiter?"_

"Who wants to know?" It was too early; he was tired and was easily getting annoyed, if this was a prank call... He suddenly becomes wide-awake and sits up as the person on the other end continues this one sided conversation.

"What?…when?" He listens intently for awhile before responding. "Yes, yes, I'm still here." He swings his legs to the edge of the bed, grabbing a pen and paper, ready to quickly scribble down some information. "Give me your number so I – I can call you back. "Thank-thank you for calling me." He says when he finally ends the call a few minutes later, hanging up the phone and putting his head in his hands.

Victoria lays on her side of the bed, half asleep, waiting to hear about another police call he has to go on. That's why the phone is on his side of the bed, but she still hears it and knows what will happen next.

But he doesn't leave the bed, he doesn't say anything. She feels a slight vibration as she rolls over to see him shaking and the sounds of choking back tears.

She sits up to comfort her husband. "Carlton, what happened? What's wrong?"

"Mitchell and Colleen their- - he…she… they're both - -" He tries to choke out the words; he slowly loses control of his emotions. "Noo!" She begins to tear up as he manages to eek out the story. Carlton's sister Colleen, and her husband Mitchell were killed as a result of a head on car accident with a drunk driver- - who walked away with a few scratches.

She holds onto her husband as the news sinks in. "What about Sylvia?"

Sylvia was the couple's young daughter.

Their niece.

"Syl…she…she was at a friends house, thank God."

Carlton answers breathlessly. "She's with some friends right now."

That's how Carlton and Victoria Lassiter became the legal guardians of 11 year-old Sylvia Kathleen Compton.


	2. Chapter 2

In the following days they went through the motions of setting up the guest bedroom and doing all they could to pave the way for school registration, school physical and arrangements for counseling so it would be as smooth a transition as possible.

Victoria was on the phone daily getting colors, designs, likes and dislikes so the girl would feel at home when she got there. Victoria was looking forward to becoming a mother; she asked her co-workers and friends lots of questions and to her surprise, her friends even held a luncheon for the new mom.

Carlton on the other hand, didn't share the info with anyone at the department. The fewer people knew about his private life, the better. He submitted all the necessary paperwork to add Sylvia as a family member to his personnel file and medical plans-online.

"Carlton is there anyone who you have you not given a ticket to or alienated?' Victoria exasperatedly asked one day as she hung up on yet another after school care prospect. They felt that Sylvia was too young to left home alone especially in new surroundings, and though the school offered an after school care program, they wanted her in a more private setting at first.

He shrugs wordlessly as she continues. "You'll need to be a little more civil for Sylvia's sake."

"I have a job to do; do you want me to look the other way when rules are broken?" He argued back.

She finally found a widowed retiree, Mrs. Singer, a couple of blocks over who agreed to watch Sylvia for a couple of hours after school. And with a final warning from his wife, "Carlton so help me, you'd better not screw this up for us." It was said and done.

Her staying with the neighbor had a secondary affect because Sylvia could keep the neighbor company as well.

They hoped that it would relieve some of the peer pressure they were sure she would feel for being the new kid and help her get a comforting feel and acclimate to the area.

Carlton and Victoria drove her to school the first couple of days, and then Carlton followed her school bus for a week making sure she got there safely. Sylvia would call them when she got to Mrs. Singer's, and one of them would pick her up after work.

Soon the three of them fell into a routine and were trying to figure each other out as well. Some of her personal belongings had arrived a couple of weeks after her arrival and she was busy making the room her own.

Carlton and Victoria changed their work schedules and habits so they would be home earlier and have family time. Weekends that used to involve work from their respective jobs, now had evolved into family activities, taking day trips, biking, educational trips, cooking and bonding.

The long-term plans were now spent worrying about their new addition, helping with homework, chauffeuring her to and from activities, talking about adjusting schedules in case she got sick or has to go the doctor, looking up the school schedule to coordinate day camps or sitters for school days off and summer vacation.

Victoria found some college students that came with excellent references for child care that were willing to earn some easy extra money watching a self sufficient older child. Of course they had to submit to background and references checks from her husband. And even he seemed to be accepting of her choices.

He made sure the sitters knew the rules before watching over Sylvia because there would be no second chances if they screwed up. So it was no surprise when a couple of them backed out after being interrogated by the Detective.

After a couple of weeks, Sylvia made her first request, asking if she could just walk home instead of them stopping to pick her up. Victoria was hesitant.

"It's just a couple of blocks." Carlton tries to reassure her, not letting on that he is just as worried.

"But anything can happen in a couple of blocks." She frets. "You are a police detective, you know that."

"We'll get her some self defense and weapons training." Carlton promises. "She's growing up and wants to be a little independent. I think it would be good for her."

Victoria still wasn't convinced. "Let's give her the benefit; we need to earn each others trust." Carlton consoles her. "I don't want anything to happen to her either."

So on a trial basis, whoever got home first would call and keep a lookout until they spotted her walking toward the house, only when she was inside and the door closed behind her would they relax.

It had been three months, and Head Detective Carlton Lassiter has been able to keep his niece a secret. Not that he's ashamed of her; he wants to protect her from his job and all the risks associated with it. Things were going well.

Well that is until that phone call.

"Lassiter" he snaps as he answers his cell phone.

_"Mr. Lassiter, this is Mrs. Andrews, Principal of the Santa Barbara Middle School."_


	3. Chapter 3

He rolls his eyes, there was only one reason for a call like this. "What happened?"

"Mr. Lassiter I need to speak to you in regards to your niece, Sylvia Compton. We tried contacting Mrs. Lassiter but she's not available." Mrs. Andrews went on to briefly explain the situation, followed by. "How soon can you get here?"

"I'm on my way." _Great, she's been here four months and is already in trouble at school. _

"O'Hara we have to make an unscheduled stop." He tells his inquisitive partner without providing any more details.

O'Hara sat quietly as her partner drove. He didn't answer when she asked where the unscheduled stop was. She noticed for the past few months, he seemed to be pulled in a new direction, wasn't as much of a workaholic as he was before. He would get strange phone calls in which he would say a few words and smile, or his text notification would play a tune when a non work related text came in, the tunes would change periodically, in which he would just smile momentarily, read the message then become serious again, and no matter how hard or subtle she tried, he wouldn't talk about it.

"Just wait here, I'll be right back." Lassiter tells his partner as he pulls into the school parking lot.

O'Hara gives him a surprised and curious look and stays in the car. Lassiter storms into the school office startling the office workers, several who recognized him, because they had gotten a traffic violation ticket.

"Yes sir." One woman quietly asks.

"I'm here, I received a call about Sylvia Compton."

"You're here to arrest her?"

"Mr. Lassiter?" A woman comes out of an office. "I'm Mrs. Andrews; the Principal. I'd like to talk to you privately before you see her."

"What happened?" He asks again, clenching his teeth, trying to be civil, after the door is closed to her office.

"As I stated on the phone, your niece Sylvia was involved in a physical altercation with another student. She was accosted by a male student and she hit him."

"Define accosted" Lassiter raises his eyebrows as he prepares to turn his anger turns toward someone else.

"A male student made physical contact with her."

"What kind of physical contact? And what did she do?" It was a simple question, how difficult was it going to be to get an answer.

"Sylvia is a young lady, who is 'developing' and the young man grabbed at her…chest, she told him not to, he touched her a second time and that's when she slammed him onto the floor."

Lassiter has turn around to smile at his niece's spunk. He wipes the smirk off his face before turning around to face the Principal. "And you have a problem with that?" He responds sarcastically and looks at her in disbelief. "I call that an unwelcome advance or even assault and she was just defending herself."

"Mr. Lassiter, understand we have a zero tolerance policy here at the school and both students have been suspended for three days." She pauses. "Off the record. I'm proud of her for standing up for herself, and I have arranged for the teachers to provide the work for the days she will be out and there will be no penalty toward her grades."

"I expect as much." He growls.

"There is the website that she can log onto to keep up with the daily lessons." Mrs. Andrews hands over a paper with instructions. "She stressed that we should call Mrs. Lassiter… she was…she mentioned that she was concerned about the visual association between the two of you. So please don't be angry with her that I called you. Classes are in session now so no one will see the two of you together."

Carlton held his breath, that was a low blow…he didn't realize how much his protection of her was affecting her. "Can, may I, have a few words with her, now."

"One moment and I'll send her in." She picks up her phone and speaks to someone.

A few moments later the door to her office slowly opens and Sylvia walks in, dressed in her usual jeans and dressy shirt for school. She was already dreading the scolding and punishment she was going to be getting from her Aunt. She walks in far enough and looks up to see her imposing uncle, not her Aunt standing there, staring down at her…that makes it even worse, she didn't want them to call him..she practically begged them not to call him…he wasn't exactly a welcome figure here and anyway he didn't want anyone to know they were related. Her Aunt blended in more and wasn't as obvious.

She quickly lowers her eyes and shivers, she wanted him to say something and get it over with. Carlton watched as she walked in. She looks nothing like a Lassiter.

With dark red hair, deep blue eyes, and a smattering of freckles, she looked more like her father. Carlton wondered why his sister ever married Mitchell, and to name his niece Sylvia?

'_What happened to a good strong Irish name' He asked Colleen when she decided on the name._

'_Because she's Mitchell's daughter too, we have to compromise_.' _She told him._

They were so opposite..and for her life to end like that. "I'll step out of the office for a minute." Mrs. Anderson exits, giving the two of them some privacy. He walks over to her, lifting her chin, getting her to look him straight in the eyes. "You want to tell me what happened?" His eyes soften and his voice was quiet and calming.

She begins to talk, telling the same story Mrs. Anderson told him, and by the time she finished she was fighting back the tears and her breaths were getting short and choppy. "I was defending myself like dad and mom taught me." That's when the tears really started to flow.

He hugs her and let her cry for a couple of minutes, trying his best to comfort her. For a moment he felt lost. "It's going to be ok. I'm gonna take you home and we'll talk about this tonight. Ok?"

"Yes sir." She nods her head as he grabs some tissues from the desk for her to wipes her eyes and blow her nose.

Carlton makes a phone call to make sure Mrs. Singer was home and would be expecting them. Returning to his professional demeanor, Lassiter opens the door and escorts her out, turning on his pleasant demeanor to the staff as they leave. "Thank you Mrs. Andrews, ladies."

The walk out of the school office and down the sidewalk, she felt like it was the longest walk she had ever taken, so far, in her short life. _So this is what the accused felt like as they were walked to the car with the dominating figure of the man wearing the sunglasses._

She spotted his car with a woman leaning against the passenger door. He would mention his partner, but Sylvia never met her.

He opened the rear door and she got in and buckled up.

"Hello" O'Hara addressed her was trying to be cheerful.

"Hello." She politely returned the greeting.

"Seat belt on?" He looks back in the rear view mirror before he started the car.

"Yes sir."

O'Hara glances back at the youngster in the rear of the car through the rear view mirror. The young lady was looking out the side window. The red rimmed eyes told their own story.

They drove in silence until they pull up in front a house. Ohara watched as he escorts the young lady to the door where he knocks and was let in.

"We'll talk about his tonight." He gives her a quick hug and smile before leaving. "And we're not mad at you."

x

x

x

Lassiter and O'Hara resume their trip to their original destination, O'Hara was waiting, but Lassiter never mentioned the stop at the school and finally she couldn't take the silence anymore. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No." he snapped.

"Carlton" She quietly speaks. "If there's something you want to talk about, you know I'm a good listener.

He wordlessly nods. And that was that.

His mind was on other things. She was grieving, adjusting to being moved to a new home with a new family. What really bothered him was that he, a career police detective couldn't find a way to make it better or hurt less.

He wished he had a magic wand to make her feel better, but that would come in time, even though he knew some of the pain would never go away.

Small steps was what the counselor said.

It was going to take small steps. There was nothing her Aunt or Uncle could do except be supportive and wait it out. The two of them had attended grief counseling to learn how to help, but the answer was the same, it was going to take time.

Small steps.


	4. Chapter 4

"I can sit here as long as you can, maybe even longer." Lassiter says. "I went to the bathroom before we started."

The recipient of his words just sits there and says nothing.

He looks at the paper in front of him again. "It will be easier if you just tell me why?"

After a long period of silence, the other party starts to speak. "I didn't think about it."

"You can talk to us honey." Victoria tries to ease the tension going on at the kitchen table. Sylvia wouldn't look at them, much less talk about it. "You're not in any trouble, we'd just like to know why you didn't tell us about it."

After a long, fidgety pause Sylvia finally speaks in a soft voice "I didn't think you'd want to go, and besides you don't want anyone to know about me."

So that's what this was about. Lassiter lets out a heavy sigh. "I didn't mean that. What I mean was that- - - "

"It's ok." But Victoria steps in. "Honey, could you give us some time to talk?"

"Yes ma'am." Sylvia pushes out her chair and heads to her bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind her.

The pair are quiet for a few minutes. Lassiter picks up the paper that Victoria had found in Sylvia's backpack again and re-reads it. The school had held a 'Father/Daughter dance' this past Saturday.

Sylvia didn't think he wanted to go...or cared.

"Tory, I will."

Even though O'Hara was working, Lassiter was well aware that his partner sat there listening to one side of the conversation.

"It won't be a problem, it's on my way home."

"Yes, I know. What are they gonna do, call the Police? Don't worry, see you tonite."

"Everything alright Carlton?"

"Yes O'Hara why wouldn't they be?" He barks.

After work Lassiter drove to a local gym where karate classes are being held. The staff member he meets looks at him with a worried look on her face as she looks around to see if she can find anyone else to help him.

"I'm De-Mr. Lassiter, here to pick up Sylvia Compton." He takes out his wallet and shows the hesitant staff member his drivers license.

The staff member hesitates, looking at him suspiciously. "But a woman usually comes to pick her up."

"I know. She had to work late tonite."

"Is she expecting you?...to pick her up that is?" The staff member was looking more nervous and was inching for the phone.

Lassiter, trying not be annoyed, took a breath and pasted a smile on his face "Look I know you're doing your job, you can look at the contact list and I am on there."

"Uncle?"

"You know this man?" The staff member positions herself to stand between the two of them.

"Yes." Sylvia answers softly, wondering what he's doing there. "He's my Uncle."

Lassiter gives the staff member a 'told you so smirk' as they leave the gym.

"Your Aunt is working late, so I thought we could grab a bite and just talk about how things in general."

Sylvia stops in her tracks, giving him the deer in the headlights look. "Are you ill?"

"You choose the place." He just smiles he opens the passenger door.

"You sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He gets in the drivers side and buckles. "Where to?"

"Can we go that new Chinese Buffet?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Spencer" Lassiter growls and starts to take a step toward him.

Seeing movement, Shawn quickly hides behind Gus, who in turn moves behind Juliette.

Lassiter seethes a moment before heading back to the car.

"Shawn, you shouldn't tease him like that." Juliette chides him but can't help smiling about it.

"It was too easy." Shawn laughs and defends himself.

"Now look, he's gonna take it out on some innocent bystanders." Gus tells them.

Shawn and Juliette look and see Lassiter heading toward a couple of cyclists.

"Mr. Lassiter."

"Uncle."

"Hello Emily, Sylvia."

"I called Mrs. Lassiter and told her we were biking to the movies and the library." Emily quickly explains.

Emily was the helper the Lassiter's had hired for the occasional school holidays. It was easy money for a few hours a day.

Since Sylvia was too old for day camp type of setting and to young to left home alone for several hours during the day, they put feelers out for someone to help out and be a companion for a few hours a day.

At first Emily didn't think she'd like working for them, or in particular him, because she heard of his reputation. Even her parents thought she wouldn't last, but it would be a good experience for her. Then seeing him with family, Emily saw a different man.

"That's ok.' He smiles. "I just saw the two of you and wanted to say hello. You have charged cell phones?"

"Yes sir."

"Do you need any money?" He reaches toward his back pocket for his wallet.

"No we're good." After talking for a couple of minutes, Sylvia looks past him. "They're getting curious."

O'Hara, Shawn and Gus were watching from a distance. They couldn't hear what as being said but Carlton had his back to them and was talking animatedly.

"What'd they do?" Gus asks as they watch the trio.

"Maybe crossed against the light." Shawn jokes. "Or stepped out of the white cross walk lines."

"Is he going to arrest them?" Gus asks as they see Lassiter reaching for his cuffs, then stopping and talking some more.

"Not if I have anything to do with it." Juliette starts to head toward them.

"This I wanna see." Shawn smirks as he and Gus follow a couple of steps behind her.

Then Lassiter suddenly steps away and waves his hand and the cyclers rode away.

"Everything ok?" Juliette asks as she meets him halfway.

"Yes, just making sure they had their safety equipment on." He answers seriously as he heads for the car.

"Would have you given them a ticket?"

He answered with a shrug.


	6. Chapter 6

As she hits the snooze button one more time, 13-year-old Sylvia turns her head to look at the digital clock, just five more minutes, but in nine more the alarm would go off again.

She doesn't want to get up this morning, she doesn't feel good. Maybe she spent too much time outside in the sun yesterday. But she can't be sick, she told herself; there's the tests in her classes this week and she can't mention not feeling well to her Aunt and Uncle, they'll make her stay home and not go to a slumber party this weekend, not to mention Spring Break is next week and she had gotten permission to go on some of the day trips with her friends.

She couldn't wait to go to the water park, and hike to the lighthouse and go to the islands. She'd been saving her allowance for months for next week.

A knock on her bedroom door interrupts her thoughts "Sylvia, time to get up. Don't make me come in there and get you up young lady." Victoria calls through her door.

"I'm up, Mom, I'm up. I'm getting dressed." She slowly drags herself out of bed.

Victoria is taken momentarily taken aback. She walks back to her bedroom where her husband was getting dressed. He pauses and watches as she stoically walks in and sits down on the bed, a strange look on her face, almost like she is going to cry.

"What? What happened?" He voices concern as he sits on the bed beside her. "Are you ok?"

"She called me mom." Victoria's face beams "Carlton, she called me mom." She repeats it again, just to hear that three-letter word. "Mom"

It's been two years since Sylvia became a part of their family and she had grown to call them "Aunt" or "Uncle" the names she was comfortable with.

She did buy them Mothers Day and Fathers Day cards, but this was the first time she verbally used the parental term of affection.

Carlton had a huge grin on his face as he hugged his wife. "That's wonderful."

Syl you didn't eat much." Victoria comments after breakfast. "You feeling ok?"

"Just nervous about some of the tests today Aunt." Sylvia lies as she cleans her breakfast dishes.

Victoria and Carlton glance at each other, the moniker remains. _It was a small step. _

"Will the grades be back before that slumber party huh?" Carlton teases her as he feels her forehead on the way to answer the door.

"Good Morning Mr. Lassiter, Mrs. Lassiter" a pair of voices greets him as he opens the door.

"Good Morning ladies" he moves aside so the two guests can enter the house. "Sylvia, Linda and Jeanette are here."

"Thanks Uncle." He rolls his eyes as the sounds of giggling begin.

"Carlton, you'd better get going if you want to make it to work in time after dropping the girls off at school." Victoria reminds him, glancing at the clock as she gathers her stuff for work.

"Your dad scares me sometimes." He hears one of the girls comment as he heads toward Sylvia's bedroom where the three girls have gathered.

"He's just being my dad. And make sure you two thank him for giving us a ride to school."

Carlton grins, as he doesn't hear her call him Uncle. _It's a small step._

He waits a few seconds before announcing. "Girls, I'm getting ready to head out the door. I want you in the car by then." He barely gets the words out as the trio runs out of the room and head for the door amid farewell cries of "Goodbye Aunt, Goodbye Mrs. Lassiter."

x

x

x

By the time Sylvia gets home from school, she is dragging and feels worse than she did that morning; now her whole body feels tired.

She got the thermometer out of the bathroom cabinet and took her temperature, only 99 degrees. Hopefully she was just tired and would feel better in the morning.

"Aunt, I'm not feeling too good." She says when she calls and lets her know she was home and was going to take a nap before she started her homework and chores.

"Where do you not feel good?"

"Tired and achy all over."

"Take an aspirin and lay down and rest for a bit, we all have those days."

Sylvia didn't even make it off the bed, much less out of her room, she was feeling dizzy after the phone call and lied down on her bed and fell asleep.

Victoria might have suspected her niece of being a typical teenager and just saying that and go run around with her friends.

They had been letting her stay home after school for some time and was she good about not going anywhere or letting anyone in. But there was always a first time.

After hanging up Victoria picks up the phone again. "Carlton. Sylvia is home and isn't feeling well. Do you think you can leave early to check on her?"

"You think she's up to something?"

"I don't know, with kids these days. I know we're to trust her but - - " She didn't want to seem like a mother hen either.

"I know, I'll make it an early day and sneak up on her."

"Maybe she is really sick? Should I go home early?" Victoria suddenly got nervous, Sylvia never complained about being sick.

"No, we don't want to smother her. And if she is up to something, I'll catch her."

Leaving work early, Carlton parked a couple of houses down and quietly sneaked up to the house and peered in the windows and listened as he walked around, no sign of activity. He quietly and slowly opened the front door, walked in and listened.

Hearing no TV or music, smelling no food or other scents, and the computer was even cold, he peered into Sylvia's room to make sure she was home.

And she was, curled up on her bed, asleep. He stood there for a few minutes, listening to make sure that she was really asleep and not pretending, her breathing pattern was deep and restful.

He quietly left and retrieved the car before checking on her again.

"Silvy." He calls by a pet name, carefully shaking her shoulder to wake her up.

"I don't feel good." She whines as she wakes.

Since she was not one to whine, he feels her forehead. "You are a little warm. Wake up for a few minutes and I'll make you some soup, then you can go back to bed. Deal?"

"Uh-huh." Sylvia slowly sits up after he leaves, closing her eyes to try and keep the room from spinning.

"What are your symptoms?" He asks when she finally made it to the kitchen table. He knew she was sick just by looking at her.

"Just achy all over and my head hurts." She answers with tears in her eyes.

"Take a quick shower, change and climb into bed, then I'll bring you some orange juice." He tells her a cold pill and two bowls of soup later.

"But I have to study a test and my chores." She argues tiredly.

"I'll wake you up later." He lies, he wasn't planning on following through.

When he checks on her a few minutes later she was under the covers and fast asleep.

"She's sick alright." He tells his wife later when he calls. "She doesn't look good."

"Should I come home? Or call the doctor?"

"No, I don't think so. She's asleep now and I'll be here in case she needs anything."

Carlton sat down and began to go over some office paperwork, keeping an ear out in case Sylvia called out or and needed something. He put the ringer on low and screened the caller id for the calls that came in for her. She needed her rest and she could talk to her friends later and there was always voicemail.

He was beginning to start dinner when Victoria got home.

"Skipping out of work early?" He greets her at the door and gives her an update.

"I felt guilty, I should be here for her."

Victoria quietly crept into the room to check on her. Like her husband had done several times over the afternoon, she felt her forehead with the back of her hand, and noticed she did feel a little warm.

She kissed her forehead, pulled the covers up, and tip toed back out. Carlton was waiting for her in hall way. "You're right maybe it's just a summer cold. If she's not any better tomorrow I'll stay home with her."

They were enjoying a quiet evening, cuddled on the couch watching a movie, when they heard her scream.

"Mommy, Mommy" were the screams heard from the back bedroom. She and Carlton ran into the young girl's room to find her crying and clutching her chest moaning, "It hurts, make it stop hurting." Sylvia's face was flushed red, her pajamas soaking wet from sweat and she her breathing was raspy. Victoria feels her forehead and not only hears but feels her labored breathing.

"My God, she's burning up."

Without hesitation Carlton picks her up, blankets and all. "We're taking her to the emergency room."


	7. Chapter 7

Now it was just a waiting game.

Sylvia had woken up screaming and in pain. Sweat-soaked from a high fever and crying that it hurt to breathe was what lead to them to the emergency room that night.

She was immediately taken into a treatment room while the Lassiter's sat in the waiting room, filled out paperwork, paced and waited.

Somehow a hot cup of coffee had turned cold in his hands. He doesn't remember how it got there, but it was there.

After what seemed like an eternity, they saw a doctor head their way.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lassiter? I'm Dr. Foster. Could you come with me so we can discuss your niece's condition."

"Where is she?"

Victoria clutches onto her husband, as they are lead to a private area.

"When your niece was brought in, her body temperature was over 103." The doctor began. "We've cooled her down and it's down to 102 now, and that's still too high."

"She wasn't feeling good this morning, it's my fault." Victoria moans. "I should have done something."

"It's no ones fault." The doctor reassures her. "She has double pneumonia. It may have been incubating in her lungs for several days before it picked up steam and got worse during the day. Sometimes the symptoms don't show up until it gets this bad. We've had several cases this week where the patient was blind sighted by it."

"She's going to be alright isn't she?" Victoria asks, fear and concern in her voice and eyes as she grips her husband's hand.

"She wasn't getting enough oxygen in her body so she's been sedated and we put her on a respirator - -

"A respirator? That means she can't breathe on her own!" Carlton exclaims nervously.

"The respirator will help her breathe until the infection is under control and her temperature comes down" Dr. Salem continues "Pneumonia drains a lot of body strength. She's very sick, and her body is weak right now. We've got her on IV antibiotics and she's going to need a lot of rest."

"Can we see her?"

"Of course. Give me a few minutes and I'll have a nurse take you to her room."

When they were finally escorted to her room, they had to control their emotions before getting to close. Her body seemed so small laying the hospital bed with all kinds of equipment and tubes are surrounding her. Ice bags were around her neck and under her arm pits to help accelerate the cooling process.

"We're here honey." Victoria whispers and kisses her forehead. "You're going to be fine. We'll be right here for you."

The tearful couple approach her still figure, holding her hands, and talking to her. The finally sit in the chairs in the room, watching her sleep, watching the machine breathe for her, watching the machines keep track of her vitals, the only sounds they heard were of the machines.

The nurses provided a cot in the hospital room, Victoria had lay down to rest, just for a few minutes and Carlton took had the recliner. They were in no hurry to leave.

He dozed off and woke up whenever the nurses came in to check on vitals, change iv bags or give meds. Which he thought was too often. She needed rest and wasn't getting.

He was nudged awake the next morning to the smell of coffee and opened his eyes to see Henry standing there. Carlton rubbed his eyes and looked for his wife, but the cot was empty.

"Victoria went to call work and tell them she has a family emergency and she's taking a couple of days off." Henry explains, handing him the cup of coffee and a sausage biscuit sandwich. "You need to do the same thing."

"But what if - - " He yawns.

"I'll be here. And you need to go home and shower and change too. You won't be doing her much good if you get sick."

After a few more minutes of convincing and Carlton making his relief has his cell number and several reminders of "call me if anything changes." he was out the door.

Henry sighed and settled in the recliner and began to read one of the many fishing magazines he brought. He even started reading the stories out loud.

Carlton went outside and stretched in the early morning air. He called Chief Vick and left a message that due to an illness in the family, he would need to take some time off.

He could get a generic letter from the doctor stating that he was taking care of an ill family member, and thanks to the new medical privacy regulations that was as much info as they needed to know.

A few minutes later his wife found him sitting there, starting at the water fountain outside of the hospital. It was the type of fountain that people would throw in change to make a wish.

"You should go home and shower and change." She rests her head on his shoulder.

He shakes his head. "You first."

They argue for a few minutes before she wins. He walks her back to the hospital room where they find Henry lightly snoring and Sylvia's temp had gone down another couple of degrees.

X

X

X

Over the next few days, friends came to provide moral support, to spell them, force them to get some air, to eat, to drink something, to walk and to talk.

Six days. Six long days later she was back home, weak, complaining about having to take horrible tasting prescription meds, but back home and slowly getting better.

She would have to make up her school work from home, and she didn't complain about the at home part. But a couple of days later she was getting cabin fever.

One day during her recuperation she asked a very serious, deep question, resulting in a long heart felt discussion.

And soon her Aunt and Uncle were called Mom and Dad.

That is unless she got real mad at them.


	8. Chapter 8

"I thought we'd beat the rush and look at some prom dresses today." Victoria announces over breakfast one Saturday morning.

Instead of the excitement she expected, 16 year old Sylvia gets a crestfallen look on her face.

"What is it?"

"What if no one asks me?"

Over the next couple of years things were going well for the trio and they fell into a comfortable pattern. Sylvia kept busy during the summer and school breaks by making extra money walking dogs, running errands, babysitting and doing some computer work.

As long as she could take the bus or her bicycle and a charged cell phone, she was good to go and was slowly gaining more independence.

Carlton made sure some people knew who she was and to keep an eye out for her, he even became more visible at school by showing up at the parent teachers conferences.

A week after her 16th birthday they got her a car. It wasn't brand new or shiny, but it had a good engine and was reliable. Before she was allowed to drive it on her own, Carlton took her down to an auto shop and showed her the basics from checking fluid levels to knowing how to change a tire.

She didn't grumble…much, and he made sure she got her hands dirty.

Though Sylvia didn't ask for much, at times her guardians would find out about something and push her to get involved or go to things. At one point they began to dread when she would turn from a sweet person into a typical hormonal teenager.

But it wasn't that bad.

She would get moody and withdraw, on the advice of the Counselor; they would leave her alone, but still be encouraging and visible. Sometimes it would take a couple of days for her to get over it and other times it would take a couple of visits to the Counselor to help her.

Sylvia was a good student, she didn't want to be noticed unless she wanted to be or she had no other choice. She had friends and there were males in her friends groups, but she shied way from going steady or getting too serious with just one boy.

"Why wouldn't they?" Victoria asked and the answer surprised her.

"You know how Dad is; he scared the last couple of guys that came around."

So that's what this was about. "He was only trying to be funny."

Sylvia sighs. "Well he was, and I knew that, but the guy was so scared I'm surprised he didn't suggest separate cars. And remember the guy who suddenly developed a headache a block away and I walked home?"

"Your father is just being very protective of you." She didn't want to go into the old cliché's of being smart, pretty and all the boys would be a fool not to ask her. "And you can go by yourself, or with your friends. You seem to have more fun in groups. And it won't hurt to look will it? We haven't had a mother/daughter day in some time."

"I guess not." Sylvia agrees. "But I'm not making any promises."

Instead of heading to the mall, Sylvia wanted to drop by a consignment shop. Justifying her request with "Girls talk about buying dresses that cost several hundred dollars, and that's without shoes and accessories."

That confirmed her suspicions that she was thinking about it.

Sylvia was partial to a tea-length dark green dress that Victoria thought looked wonderful on her. Flowy and modest without being to old fashioned looking, three quarter sleeves and didn't show too much, very lady-like.

And the other was a light blue, silky number that was nice. It was nice, and kinda plain. But Sylvia seemed to like it so Victoria kept her opinion to herself.

"I want to get Dad's opinion on these two dresses." Sylvia hesitates a moment before asking the clerk for, and receiving permission to take a photo in each gown. "And mom?"

"Yes?"

"You aren't going to text and give him a heads up are you?"

"No." She smiles, knowing that he would be pleased to be asked for his opinion.

After having her picture taken in each one, they are sent and they looked around, waiting for an answer.

"Maybe he turned his phone off?" Sylvia frowned several minutes later after no response to the text or a voice mail message.

"Can you hold these two dresses?" Sylvia asks the store employee, and after explaining her request, refers them to the Manager.

"Not normally, but since you're waiting on an answer, I can hold it until the shop closes this afternoon."

"We've got a couple of hours; we can track him down if we have to." Victoria tells her as they leave and she would do just that.

They wander off to another couple of stores and were going to lunch when Sylvia gets notification of a text.

_"green one."_

"Yes!" Sylvia jumps up and down. "Can we go look for shoes and accessories after we pick it up?"

"Of course." Victoria smiles. If it took something that simple to make her happy, things were good.

Then it all changed with a routine traffic stop.


	9. Chapter 9

Carlton Lassiter grumbled as he pulled into the parking lot of the mega store to meet with two uniformed officers that were on a traffic stop.

His presence was requested at the scene, dispatch wouldn't tell him why, just respond.

_Why can't they do their jobs without someone holding their hands?_ He mumbled as he parked and then stopped in his tracks a upon seeing a familiar sedan in front of the police car. As he started walking toward the officers he looked in the back of the second police car and saw Sylvia.

She looked at him, gave him a weak grin and shrugged her shoulders.

"What's the problem?" He asked as he walked over to the officers.

"I stopped this car for running the light as it turned yellow - - "

"It was turning yellow as she passed under it?"

"Yes."

"That's not illegal, so why is she being detained."

"I was just going to give her a warning to pay attention to the lights."

"Was she driving too fast?"

"No sir."

Was she on a cell phone?

No - -

"Putting on her makeup? Radio to loud?"

No - -

"Then what? "

"I asked for license and registration and the vehicle came back registered to Carlton and Victoria Lassiter."

And?

"And the driver is not a Lassiter."

"Did she have a notarized statement that she was allowed to operate the vehicle?"

"Yes - - "

"Was she argumentative or disrespectful?"

"No-"

"Was she a flight risk?"

"I don't think so."

"THEN WHY IS SHE IN THE BACK OF A POLICE CAR?"

"Because we weren't sure if it was legit or not. With identify theft on the rise, I wanted to make sure, and I don't think this is legit."

YOU don't think this is legit?"

Lassiter's face turns red as he slowly counts to 20, if he had taken his sun glasses off they could see the fire in his eyes, then he takes a breath and tries to speak calmly through clenched teeth. "Officer, it is legitimate. The driver's name is Sylvia Compton and she has my permission and my wife's permission to drive that vehicle. And in my opinion, it looks like she was pulled over for some b.s reason.

"What is her relationship to you?"

"Excuse me?" His voice and his temper went up a couple decibels. "That you do no need to worry about. You will release her and apologize for any inconvienence and embarrassment you have caused her, and you had better hope that she doesn't file a complaint against either one of you.

Carlton watches as the officer walks over to the car, helps Sylvia out and uncuffs her. Sylvia glances at her Uncle who shakes his head slightly. She rubs her wrists as the officer apologizes and escorts her to the driver's door of her car, and with "have a nice day Ma'am." She was off.

Without a word, Carlton heads back to his car and drives away.

"It wasn't my fault!" Sylvia argues back later that night. "It was a bogus stop. And he never told me why I was being pulled over."

"That is not the point. You knew the rules."

"Yes, the rules about breaking a law or one of the rules and I don't think this was covered."

He had a bad day following the traffic violation and her attitude just annoyed him even more. Victoria was out of town for two more days and he was hoping to handle this peacefully.

""You didn't think, that's what the problem was."

"You think I did it to embarrass you, to let people know about me." She continued.

"You are grounded for a week; the only place you can go is school and work."

"But that's not fair." She argues and for a moment Carlton sees his late sister in her face. "You haven't heard my side of the story!"

"You want to try for two?"

"But the show is Friday night?"

He walks over to the bulletin board and rips something off and tears it up.

"How about no car, no show and no Prom! DO I make myself clear?"

"But Dad!"

He regretted the next words as soon as they came out of this mouth.

But it was too late to take them back. He thought he was as much in shock as she was.

Sylvia stared at him, her mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but the words didn't come out. She turned around and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

His eye caught the tickets he was holding, the tickets that he had ripped up, and he felt the energy drain from his body and he had to sit. How could he have done such a thing?


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, she was ready to head out the door when he got up for breakfast.

"I have to leave early to catch the bus." She handed him the school bus schedule she had printed out from the school website.

"Look, things were a bit heated last night, I can drop you off and we can talk tonight."

I don't want you to go out of your way." She answered coolly.

"It's not - - " He's interrupted by his cell. "Lassiter!" He barks as she stands there waiting. He grimaces as he finishes the call. "I'm sorry."

She just shrugs and picks up her backpack.

"Straight home." He said as she opened the door at the same time she said. "I'll check in when I get home."

x

x

x  
>Everything ok Carlton?<p>

"Yes O'Hara. Why are you asking again?"

"You keep looking at your watch like you're expecting something."

"Just checking the time."

"Then his cell beeped. The security alarm at the house was unarmed, then less than a minute later Sylvia texts. "Home"

His plan to talk to her when he got home went astray because he ended up working late and she was asleep when he got home that night.

He got up late the next morning and was still groggy and half listening. "I called my job to let them know I was available tonite and if you're not working late I need to be dropped off and picked up."

"I'll try." He yawns widely as he heads to the coffee maker still half awake.

x

x

x

"Why is Syl's car still here? Did she get a ride?" Victoria asks after her husband welcomes her home that night. Because of the uncertainty of the airline arrivals she reserved a ride home thorough the airport shuttle service.

"No."

"You took her?"

"I messed up." Carlton sat down and told her what happened…what he said.

"How could you?" She furiously wanted to beat him right then and there, for saying that, for tearing up those tickets.

A Broadway show that Sylvia wanted to see was coming to town and a ticket had been promised for her birthday a couple of months earlier. "She's been looking forward to it for months."

"You don't think I've been beating myself up over it." He rubs his hands over his hair. "It happened, I can't take it back and she won't talk about it."

"Why didn't you call me?" And before he could answer she kept talking. "Of all the things you two call me about, from do I have to do this to should we have this for dinner. Neither one of you called me about this."

"She didn't tell you?" Carlton look surprised.

"If she did you would have known Mister." The Victoria begins to tear up. "I'm a terrible mother."

"No you're not." Carlton holds his wife. "It's my fault; I thought I could handle it myself. I called and couldn't get the tickets reissued and I even asked your friend Pat to see if could pull some strings, and she couldn't either."

Pat? Carlton was serious if he turned to her friend. To say the two of them didn't care for each other was an understatement.

"Where is she?"

"She's working tonight. She let them know she was available and went in." Carlton looked like hell. "I am so sorry."

She had rarely seen him so emotional. "I'll pick her up and talk to her."

Victoria got to the fast food place a few minutes early, walked in and ordered a soft drink to go. "See you outside." She motioned to Sylvia who nodded understanding.

Soon she hopped in the passenger seat of the car, giving her Aunt a big hug and asking questions. "Welcome back! How was your trip? Did you learn anything?"

"It had its moments." She smiled and chatted as she drove to a well lighted big box store parking lot and parked. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

And with that the waterworks started.

"I…I…said I was sorry and…and…he was so mad and… and he wouldn't listen and I said. . .and he said…." Sylvia started in a new set of tears.

"Honey, he didn't mean it." Victoria tries to calm her down. "You know he feels absolutely horrible about it."

"Uh-huh." She sniffles.

"Did you try to talk to him after that?"

She shakes her head. "I was afraid of making him mad again."

"I know sweetheart." She hugs her niece. "Once he calms down he's a little more approachable. And you could have called me."

"I di…didn't want to upset you or make you worry, y..y…you were at your conference and you said to call only if we burned the house down."

"And you didn't." She remembers joking about that. "I'm sorry you didn't get to go to the show, maybe they still have late cancellations for tickets for this weekend?"

"It's not that important anyway." She shakes her head. "Can we get ice cream on the way home?"

Carlton was sitting in the recliner reading a book; he couldn't remember what he was reading because he was waiting for them to come home.

He sees the headlights pull in to the driveway and hears the car doors opening and closing. The door slowly opens and Sylvia steps in.

"I'm sorry for being so angry with you." She says quietly. "I didn't mean to be such a brat."

He was out of his chair and hugging her before he could speak. "It was my fault as much as yours. I was having a bad day."

"I thought they were going to arrest me." Sylvia cries into his chest. Carlton sees his wife standing in the doorway, carrying two Styrofoam cups, an eyebrow raised.

"They weren't. You didn't do anything wrong, remember that. They were just being overzealous."

"I didn't embarrass you?" She sniffled.

"No…you didn't." He ruffles her hair. "I'm not embarrassed by you and I'm sorry, you know I never meant that."

She nods while sniffling some more.

"Well this ice cream isn't gonna eat itself." Victoria finally breaks the tension.

It would take time, but hopefully things would get back to normal.


End file.
